OMERS Infrastructure

Congratulations Peter! Peter Gray, CFA has been appointed Senior Managing Director and Head of Americas for OMERS Infrastructure. He will now report to Global Head Michael Hill, and joins our global Infrastructure Management Committee. Peter has been an integral part of the OMERS Infrastructure business since 2014 and has made tremendous contributions across the portfolio on both origination and asset management. Commenting on the news, Michael Hill, Executive Vice President and Global Head of OMERS Infrastructure, said: “Peter exemplifies our core values of partnership, excellence and positivity and he is well positioned to take on this new leadership role. He will now lead the regional team of 35 professionals, and oversee all origination activities in energy, digital and transportation, as well as the active asset management of our 12 current investments in the US and Canada.” To learn more about our team, please visit here: https://lnkd.in/evupJSPJ

We’re pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement to sell OMERS investment in East-West Tie Limited Partnership to Hydro One, Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider. East-West Tie Limited Partnership owns and operates the East-West Tie transmission project, a newly constructed 450km electrical transmission line in Northern Ontario. Michael Hill, Executive Vice President and Global Head of OMERS Infrastructure, said: “We are very proud of our 12-year partnership with co-shareholders and our collaboration with First Nations to develop and operationalize the East-West Tie. Hydro One, a prominent Canadian company that already owns and operates more than 90 per cent of Ontario's transmission network, was considered the best strategic partner to support the company’s continued reliable operations.” Congratulations to Steven Zucchet and the full team involved! The full media release can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ehbD-jP7

Irini Kalamakis, the Global Head of our Strategic Partnership Program, spoke yesterday on the first infrastructure panel at the Women in Private Markets event in London. She shared her insights on investment opportunities, market dynamics and the forces shaping the infrastructure landscape going forward. Thanks for the invitation to take part!

Alastair Hall, our head of Europe, today spoke on the keynote panel at Infralogic’s European Investors Forum. He shared his insights on regional trends across M&A, energy transition, fundraising and macroeconomic considerations together with Neale Marvin, Sikander Rashid and Serkan Bahçeci. Despite the ongoing uncertainties in the broader market, the panelists all agreed that there are compelling opportunities ahead in the European infrastructure sector. Thanks for the the invitation to take part!

Happy decade Down Under! We’re excited to celebrate 10 years in Australia, and really proud of the role Infrastructure has played in OMERS growth over the decade. We have an amazing team based in Sydney who oversee new pursuits and diligently manage our energy, transportation and digital assets in the country.   Christopher Curtain, our head of Asia-Pacific, said: “With a committed team in Sydney supported by our colleagues in Canada and around the world, OMERS has established a strong and dynamic presence in Australia. As we enter our second decade in Australia, we are excited about the future and look forward to continuing our journey of growth, innovation, and sustainability in this vibrant market.” Some snaps from last week's event are below, and check out the news here: https://lnkd.in/eTrnat3X.

We are proud to share that XpFibre, one of OMERS digital investments, located in France, has successfully raised €5.8 billion of credit facilities, marking one of the largest multi-sourced transactions in the European digital infrastructure market to date. XpFibre is the largest independent Fibre-to-the-Home operators in France delivering high speed internet to approximately 25% of the French territory in terms of homes passed.   Alastair Hall, Head of Europe, OMERS Infrastructure, said: “This refinancing is a vote of confidence in the strength of XpFibre. As the company’s rollout phase nears completion, now is the right time to put in place a capital structure that reflects XpFibre’s highly resilient business model, predictable cash flow and robust financial profile as well as supporting its continued rollout to customers.”   Digital, as one of our priority sectors alongside energy and transportation, is a significant and growing focus area for our business globally. OMERS other digital investments are Glasfaser, a German broadband business, Waveconn, an Australian telecom towers platform, and Beanfield Metroconnect, a Canadian broadband company.   Congratulations to everyone involved!

We’re excited to announce that OMERS has signed an agreement to increase its stake in Interise Trust through the acquisition of Allianz Capital Partners’ 13.5% stake. OMERS has been invested in Interise Trust, which holds a diversified portfolio of 17 operational road concessions across eight states in India, since 2019. Michael Hill, Executive Vice President and Global Head of OMERS Infrastructure, said: “We are excited to be able to increase our stake in Interise and continue our partnership with CPPIB in this attractive sector. This transaction is our second in the transportation sector in six weeks, following us signing an agreement to acquire Italy’s Grandi Stazioni Retail in partnership with DWS last month.”   Christopher Curtain, our Head of Asia-Pacific, added: “The transaction aligns well with our Infrastructure investment strategy – it increases OMERS exposure to India’s economic growth, through an asset and sector that we know well, and in line with our approach to focus on large, resilient and yielding assets in our priority markets. We look forward to continuing to work with the Interise team as they manage critical road infrastructure across India”   Transportation is one of our three global priority sectors in which we want to further invest.  Interise Trust is one of our 14 transportation investments, with the others including airports (London City and Bangalore airports), ports (Associated British Ports and Port of Melbourne), logistics (Direct ChassisLink Inc.), rail (VTG and the recently announced Grandi Stazioni Retail), and motorway service stations (Tank & Rast).   Congratulations to Delphine, Harmish and the full team involved! The full media release is here: https://lnkd.in/gZ4_29T2

We’re excited to announce that Tokushi Kojima, CFA has joined us as a Managing Director in the Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) team. SPP provides institutional investors with the opportunity to co-invest alongside the OMERS pension fund in high-quality infrastructure assets globally. OMERS Infrastructure currently manages C$6.6bn on behalf of 18 strategic partners in 11 assets around the world.   Tokushi will support the further expansion of the third-party capital platform by identifying and developing relationships with like-minded institutional partners globally, and leading co-investment and secondary opportunities that arise through OMERS Infrastructure’s deployment and portfolio management activities.   Irini Kalamakis, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Strategic Partnerships, said: “Tokushi has a highly developed understanding of the sector given his many years of experience with infrastructure assets, managers, funds and investors. As our program continues to grow, expanding the team with his expertise and industry credibility allow us to continue to provide a uniquely aligned level of investment support and differentiated relationship management to our global co-investors. Our Strategic Partnership Program is a core part of our infrastructure investment strategy, and this enhancement of our team is further evidence of our long-standing institutional commitment to the platform and our partners.”   Welcome to the team, Tokushi!

We’re excited to announce that OMERS and DWS Group have signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Grandi Stazioni Retail S.p.a. Grandi Stazioni Retail manages the entirety of commercial and advertising spaces in 14 of Italy's major railway stations and hubs for the high-speed rail network, which collectively receive over 800 million visits a year. The stations include over 800 commercial units, totaling around 190,000 Sqm of leasable space, and over 1,800 media assets. Michael Hill, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Infrastructure, OMERS said: “We are delighted to be partnering with DWS to acquire Grandi Stazioni Retail. The acquisition is highly consistent with the OMERS Infrastructure strategy and will be an excellent complement to our world-class portfolio of infrastructure investments.” Alastair Hall, Head of Europe, OMERS Infrastructure, said: “We’re delighted to acquire Grandi Stazioni Retail, which marks our entry into Italy and further expands OMERS presence in Europe. The investment presents us with an exciting opportunity to grow our exposure to the resilient and dynamic European rail sector. We are hugely impressed by Grandi Stazioni Retail’s management team, their commercial strategy and successful track-record of growth.” The investment becomes our 19th in Western Europe and 14th transportation asset globally. Congratulations to Luca Lupo and the full team involved! The full media release is here: https://lnkd.in/gsdEVXRq

We’re pleased to announce that an agreement has signed to sell OMERS full investment in LifeLabs to Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic information services. LifeLabs is the preeminent provider of critical diagnostic lab infrastructure and services across Canada, primarily in Ontario and British Columbia. Michael Hill, our Global Head of Infrastructure, said: “OMERS is proud to have supported LifeLabs’ growth over the last 17 years. Our purchase in 2007 and subsequent investments have helped LifeLabs grow into a great Canadian success story. Quest is uniquely equipped to expand the service offering at LifeLabs bringing new innovations to this market while extending access for patients in Canada.” Charles Brown, President and CEO of LifeLabs, added: “Quest is the right partner to build on the strengths of LifeLabs and align with our strategic path, which focuses on enhancing the accessibility and quality of services that we provide to millions of Canadians. We know and respect Quest, as we share similar cultures and values and a productive test-reference relationship. Together, we’ll grow LifeLabs and provide more Canadians with access to the advanced diagnostics they rely on, closer to home. We sincerely thank OMERS for its investment, leadership, and valued collaboration over 17 years.” Congratulations to Matthew Mendell, Jenine Krause and the full team involved! The full media release can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ggGQmJqY